GenParenting

Parenting resources for all who love and care for children

Blog

How to Reduce Bullying at School

How to Reduce Bullying at School

Each day our children are exposed to incidents of teasing, criticizing, and belittling. How children respond to these subtle, but destructive statements, can make a huge difference in their daily experiences at school. For example, one child may tease another at lunch about what he is eating. It may be that the child has food allergies and cannot eat certain foods. In another situation, a child may be eating foods that are unique to a culture. Regardless of the reason, children must learn to respect the individual differences of their classmates. Most schools focus on teaching children how to get along with others. Many schools grade children on their behavior with their classmates and their teacher. In California, schools have established strict guidelines on how students are to report bullying incidents to their teacher and school personnel. [Read more…]

image_pdfmake a pdfimage_printPrint

Talking to Children After a Disaster

Talking to Children After a Disaster

 

Children are experiencing natural disasters such as fires and floods or manmade disasters such as shootings and bombings. Some children personally experience these disasters. Others experience them through watching them on TV, or by hearing adults talk about them. It is important for parents and teachers to be ready to provide support in case stress reactions begin to occur as a result of this exposure. [Read more…]

image_pdfmake a pdfimage_printPrint

How to Get the Most Out of a Parent-Teacher Conference

How to Get the Most Out of a Parent-Teacher Conference

Parent-Teacher conference time makes many parents nervous, but it does not need to be this way. Conferences are not an attack on your child, nor is it a time to put all the flaws of your child on display. Instead, shift your perspective. The question you should be asking is, “How can the teacher and I come together for the benefit of my child?” Here’s how to view Parent-Teacher conferences in a positive light.

Teacher will be held accountable for teaching curriculum

When teachers start to explain all the standards that your child will learn in class for the coming year, it may be overwhelming! From the parent’s perspective, there are a lot of concepts that your child will learn. However, the flip side of this is that the teacher is actually outlining all the teaching standards by which he or she will be held accountable for teaching. This is the teacher’s commitment to you and your child. [Read more…]

image_pdfmake a pdfimage_printPrint

Preschoolers and Natural Disasters

Preschoolers and Natural Disasters

California and several other states have struggled with significant natural disasters during the last two months. Preschoolers can become very fearful when hearing about these disasters. A parents’ responsibility to preschoolers is to assure them that their parents are going to work towards keeping them safe and secure. Parents in the midst of disasters typically try to reassure their children and move them to safety. Ideally, parents can provide their children with daily routines that establish a secure and stable environment.

Help Others

During and after disasters, parents can help their preschoolers learn how to support others less fortunate. Strategies parents can use to help their preschoolers give back to others include:

  1. Children can give their extra toys, clothes, and art supplies to a collection bin for survivors who have lost everything.
  2. Children can learn how to collect for a cause when trick or treating or as part of a Thanksgiving Drive.
  3. Preschoolers can attend a service day at a local school where students organize supplies for families who have lost basic needs.
  4. Preschoolers can meet families who have lost their homes by sharing a meal in their home or a picnic in the park with a new friend.
  5. If a family has an extra vacation home or space on their property, they can offer that home or space as a respite to a family in need.
  6. If a family lives between two houses, one house can be rented cheaply to a family who has lost their home.
  7. Your child’s preschool or church can sponsor a fundraising event to buy new backpacks filled with school supplies, craft projects, and gift cards for necessities that can be given to the school’s children who have lost their homes.
  8. Schools can highlight the culture of giving by organizing culturally sensitive assemblies with local agencies and churches. The preschoolers can participate by helping with the distribution of donated gifts to the school’s families in need.
  9. The children can create cards and write messages of appreciation and gratitude to families receiving gifts and the first responders.
  10. Preschoolers can increase their empathy for each other by teaching them how to help a child that has fallen off a swing or hurts himself while playing on the playground.

[Read more…]

image_pdfmake a pdfimage_printPrint